Josh Brolin Was Jonah Hex And Thanos: A Mistake For Brolin To Be Cable In ‘Deadpool 2’ And X-Men Movies?

According to The Associated Press, Josh Brolin was recently picked for the role of Cable in the upcoming Deadpool 2 movie. Brolin is a well-respected actor who could certainly bring weight to the role of the time traveling, Apocalypse fighting cyborg known as Cable. At the same time, some people are questioning whether it really makes sense to once again cast Josh Brolin in a superhero film when he’s already played two different characters in other superhero franchises.

Josh Brolin as Jonah Hex. [Image by Warner Bros.]

Cable and Deadpool

There’s no question that moviegoers have been eagerly awaiting a film featuring Deadpool and Cable, especially since the characters have such a long history together in the comic books. Cable can play the perfect grim, menacing straightman to the quirky, joking, fourth-wall breaking Deadpool. It will be the ultimate buddy cop film.

But is Josh Brolin the right person to play Cable? Although Brolin certainly has comedic timing and has shown it in many films, it might not work with the over-the-top antics of Deadpool. But even putting that aside, there are physical questions about Brolin in the role. For one thing, Cable is supposed to tower over Deadpool. But Brolin is actually several inches shorter than Ryan Reynolds.

Then there’s the problem of age and physical conditioning. Josh Brolin will be 50 by the time he starts filming Deadpool 2, but he will somehow have to get in fantastic physical condition and add on tons of muscle for the film. Worse, if over the next several years he does two or three Deadpool, X-Men or X-Force movies, he could be pushing 60 by the end of his run as Cable. Could he really stay in that kind of condition for that long?

Brolin’s Comic Book Roles

Josh Brolin is no stranger to comic book movies. In 2010’s Jonah Hex, Brolin played the titular role as DC Comics scar-faced and mysterious western gunslinger. It’s no exaggeration to say that this film was underwhelming for critics and fans alike, and it maybe the low point of Brolin’s movie career.

However, when Marvel offered Josh Brolin another shot at superhero stardom as that universe’s big bad Thanos, he jumped at the chance. On the surface, this might have sounded like a great opportunity, but it hasn’t quite worked out that way. Although Thanos has been lurking around the edges of the various Marvel Universe films, he’s only had minutes of screen time so far. It’s assumed that in the Avengers: Infinity Wars movies he’ll be more prominent.

Josh Brolin as Thanos. [Image by Marvel Studios]

Brolin in the X-Men Universe

Given the above, it’s not surprising that some people are a little hesitant about the idea of Josh Brolin taking on a third comic book character. Aside from the fact that the previous two characters he’s played for DC and Marvel haven’t exactly lit up the screen, it’s also true that suspension of disbelief will be much more difficult for the audience watching Josh Brolin in the X-Men universe. After all, they’ve already seen him play two other characters for Marvel and DC.

Worse, Brolin is in the process right now of playing Thanos and may well have to play the character at some point in the future over it Marvel. This means that the Josh Brolin situation is very different than other instances where an actor switched from one character to another. Yes, Chris Evans did play the Human Torch before becoming Captain America, and Ben Affleck did play Daredevil before donning the cape and cowl as Batman. But they didn’t play those roles at the same time. Whether audiences will be thrown by this overlap is still an open question.